


Staying Awake to Chase a Dream

by tonystark



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-08
Updated: 2012-07-17
Packaged: 2017-11-09 10:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/454356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonystark/pseuds/tonystark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When you're a Stark, being a genius, disobeying orders, and risking your life is just part of the job description.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Super Suits and Arc Reactors

'You're Alexandra Stark,' she reminded herself, 'the daughter of the smartest man on Earth. You have an iron super suit, it's only a level below, and you just need to breathe and think and… connive.' 

Her father was the best conniver she knew. But he wasn't around; he was almost gone. As New York fell into shambles around her, she couldn't help but wonder, why me?

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"JARVIS, what do you think?" Alex rotated the holographic version of the suit, giving it a quick onceover. Even the hologram sparkled, and the glimmer reflected in her eyes.

"Well, it will definitely be one to rival your father's," JARVIS said over the loudspeaker, "I suggested black and silver ages ago, but you know him. Slightly ostentatious."

Alex laughed, looking around her father's lab. "Slightly? Just like he's slightly intelligent, or I'm slightly similar to the man." The laboratory was filled with iron suits similar to hers, but made of shiny red and gold. "Now that that's done… JARVIS, the arc reactor."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Surer than I'll ever been."

"Your father doesn't suggest letting you –,"

"JARVIS, I would mute you but I really do need your help."

There was silence. Alex could practically hear JARVIS's gears turning as he weighed the options. "List me the pros and cons," she said finally, if only to ease him.

"Cons:" his metallic voice rang out, sounding more like Microsoft Sam than the soft spoken JARVIS, "potential death. Blood poisoning. Heart transplant. A dangerous procedure overall, miss."

"And the pros?"

"Pros: enough to power your super suit. If you succeed, your intelligence will rival your father's. And it could keep you stable for at least 50 lifetimes – no worrying about cardiac issues unless it's removed."

"Well, that's enough for me. Begin the operation, JARVIS."

Dummy pushed a chair over to where she was standing, and Butterfingers rolled over a medicine cart. "Dummy, bring out the intravenous. Butterfingers, prepare for open heart surgery. JARVIS, prepare the arc reactor and the epidural, please."

The robots wheeled around the lab at her command, bringing over boxes, carts, needles, whatever she needed.

"Oh, and JARVIS? One last thing."

"Of course, Alexandra."

"Can you make sure Dad can't get in? I know he's in Russia, but better safe than sorry."

"Locking the premises from any outsiders."

"Fantastic. Thank you."

"Anything for you, Miss Stark."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"JARVIS, JARVIS! What's going on? Why is the lab locked?"

"Orders of your daughter, sir."

"You're answering to her now? Why the hell is the lab on lockdown?"

"She's – working on a personal experiment."

"A personal experiment, my ass, JARVIS. What is she doing?"

"Alex wanted a super suit. She built one."

"And?"

"And she needed an arc reactor to power it."

"Damn it, JARVIS! How could she – but…"

"Mr. Stark, would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Yes, JARVIS. And send her up to me when she's done. I'll be in the floor 113 kitchen."

"Of course, sir."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alex, your father would like to see you on floor 113. He says it's urgent." Alex tapped the arc reactor on her chest, making sure the Starkium flowed freely in the Mark A. Granted, her father kept extras of his own arc reactor, but those were too large for her thin, female chest.

"Oh Jesus, JARVIS, why'd you have to tell him? Now I'm gonna get reamed out."

"It had to be done, Miss Stark. He'll be thrilled to see you made it through surgery in one piece."

Alex groaned at his response, but made her way to the elevator. "JARVIS, what should I be prepared for?"

"He's not as angry as you're assuming, miss."

"Well what I'm assuming is really bad."

"Then it's much less."

"Thanks, JARVIS."

Alex tried to put as much seething sarcasm into that sentence as possible – even much less than she expected was awful. The elevator dinged. Who knew 100 floors could go by so fast when you're expecting a death sentence? Only Stark Tower, she thought bitterly, walking out and putting on her game face.

"Alexandra Virginia Stark," Tony's calm voice rang out before she even reached the kitchen, "what the hell were you thinking?" He may not be one to yell at his daughter, but God his stoic-sounding voice could slice through bone if it had to.

"I was thinking, Dad, that I could be a little more help than just being your assistant," she bit back, her words tremor-free despite how fast her heart was beating behind the arc reactor. "D'you know what it's like, sitting here, holed up, having JARVIS give me your stats while you're off with your little boy band? I want to be out there, in the action, fighting with you! And I figured the only way you'd let me is if I made a machine to rival yours. JARVIS, can you pull up the Mark A, please?"

Just as she had ordered, the suit appeared in JARVIS's hologram program. Tony stalked over to it, rotating it and examining every detail.

"JARVIS, you bastard, I knew you were hiding something," he muttered, and Alex could see a billion thoughts spurring through his mind at an inhuman rate, "did you dig up my mods? Use the Mark VIII plans? Let me in that lovely little Stark mind of yours, Alexandra."

"Well, first order of business – you know I like being called Alexandra as much as you like being called Anthony. Second – how do I know you won't use this for yourself? This is my brainchild –,"

"– the brainchild I came up with in 2008 –,"

"– and I won't have it end up as another 'Stark Industry play toy'!"

"Baby, come on, sit down," Tony led her into the lavish kitchen and sat her down at the granite table, "you honestly think I'd let the idiots at SI handle your suit? Hell no, if I did, I'd be fucking crazy. No, this is bigger than SI. This is S.H.I.E.L.D. worthy. But it won't be a play toy, honey, don't you worry."

"Do you mean –,"

"Let me pick your brain first, if you don't mind. Now, did Bruce know you were building this?"

"Nope. I couldn't trust anyone with this information except for JARVIS."

"Fantastic. And you found the Starkium fine? Mark A? How is that different from my Mark VIII schematics?"

"The Starkium wasn't hidden. Well, not for JARVIS, anyway. Mark A, meaning Alex. Your Mark VIII designs were very masculine, and heavier than what I can carry. I've also been working myself to the peak of physical perfection – almost – mostly because between the arc reactor and the gold-titanium alloy I'll be carrying around, my body is a little too frail for that. So Mark A is a smaller, more feminine version, using a little less metallic body armor and more, well, padding.

"As for the arc reactor, I had to adjust the size and tweak the position a bit because of, ah, feminine reasons. It also doesn't have the electro-magnet, mostly because I don't have a bit of shrapnel in my chest. It can, however, be adjusted to any medical situation that involves blood vessels or even internal injury. But as for right now, it keeps my vitals steady, works as almost a mood regulator, and can power the suit. Any more questions?"

"Do you want to join me at work today?"

Those were the only words she needed to hear. Alex almost started gasping with excitement when the arc reactor slowed down her heart rate.

"That would be absolutely fantastic. That's exactly what I was aiming for, to be honest."

Tony's face broke out into a wide smile – for a 54 year old man, his smile could still light up a room. "Awesome. Let's go get the Jolly Green Giant and we'll head over. Hey Bruce-y boy!" he called over to the intercom on the wall across from him.

"Yes, Tony?" replied the tinny voice – from the drilling sounds in the background, it sounded like he was in one of the labs.

"We're on our way over to Avengers Tower."

"We're?"

"Alex and I. C'mon."

"Oh. Alright." They heard a clanging sound and the doors slide open. Soon enough, Bruce was on their level – he had been on floor 150, the elemental lab where Tony stored the Starkium. "Is it 'bring your kid to work' day?" he asked, winking at Alex.

"Hardly, Banner. It's 'my kid's on my level of intelligence and I want to show her off' day," Tony laughed, and headed off to the elevator. Bruce and Alex looked at each other, exchanged a grin, and followed.

The ride down to the parking garage was a longer one, filled with Tony's grandiose visions of the unstoppable scientist trio – Bruce, Alex, and himself, fighting crime after S.H.I.E.L.D. disintegrates due to intergalactic scandals.

"I'd like to see this happen," Bruce chuckled into Alex's ear, his warm breath tickling her neck.

"So would I, I mean, let's be honest – intergalactic scandals? He'd cause them himself. I don't think anyone's ever appreciated how many scandals one man can cause in 8 years." Alex whispered back, and the laugh lines on Bruce's face grew as he stifled giggles.

Despite him being the same age as her father, the gamma radiation and "the other guy" slowed down his aging – just as Steve's and Thor's was (even though Steve was a super soldier and Thor was a god).

The elevator dinged – they had reached the ground level garage. Tony stood in the middle of the room, weighing his car options.

"Wait," said Bruce, "you've been solving his problems since you were ten?"

"She showed advancements in language at an early age."

"More like a sense of right and wrong. Unlike my father."

Bruce and Tony laughed, and the latter made his way toward a flashy gold Cadillac. "Well, come on, geeks. We've got a super suit to show off."


	2. Meetings and Norse Mythology

And so she waited.

They had arrived at Avengers Tower, Tony had presented the suit, Alex contributed whatever he needed her to, and Fury had called a meeting of all staff. So the most she could do was sit outside and wait.

About a half hour into her wait, Captain Steve Rogers had come out for a drink of water.

"As far as they know," he had whispered, "I just came out to keep you company. It's rude to keep a lady waiting." Rogers winked at her, his face timeless, and went back inside.

Unfortunately, that had been an hour ago and, thanks to the soundproof doors, she couldn't listen in on what they were saying. Frankly, it surprised her that her father was so into her joining S.H.I.E.L.D. He had been so adamant about her not joining the last time she asked.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alexandra, no."

"Why not?"

"Your mother wouldn't want it."

"Well she's not here. She hasn't been here."

"That doesn't mean she'd want that kind of fate for you."

"You sealed my fate when you named me Alexandra."

"How?"

"Alexandra means defender of mankind. That's what I want to be, I want to join you, I want to be one of Earth's mightiest defenders!"

"But your mother –,"

"When she left, she decided she had no say in my life."

"She never said that."

"I did."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And, with that conversation, she had effectively shut out her mother from her life forever. Alex didn't know where her mother was, what she was doing, or why she left, but she left. That was all she needed to do to be sure that her daughter wouldn't be in contact with her any time soon.

A noise behind her startled her – the door of the meeting room opened. Fury led the way, his face showing defeat. Behind him was her father, beaming with victory.

"Alex Stark," Fury said, holding his hand out, "welcome to the team."

"Nuh-uh!" Alex replied, her smile as big as her father's, "this is so great! Oh god." She shook Fury's hand enthusiastically, and then went beyond him to hug her father. "How did you do it?"

"Well, dear," he laughed, "it took a little bit of the old Stark charm."

"And saying that it was your dream to be a member of the Avengers and that if 'my little girl doesn't get her dream, you don't get your genius'."

"Can it, Banner."

It really didn't matter to her how she got in – it was exciting all the same.

"So now what?" she asked, following the crowd down the hall.

"You'll need an informing," Fury replied, "Thor's brother is causing trouble again, and it's getting ridiculous."

"An informing?"

"Barton and Romanoff will tell you all you need to know, whether it's about Asgard, the Bifrost, or what type of army he's building up this time."

"So basically a Norse history lesson?"

"… Yeah."

"Awesome."

From there he left her with Clint and Natasha, the resident assassins. She had known them since she was a little girl as well – Natasha had provided for her a motherly role model and Clint had watched over her while Tony was out on missions.

"Now, Alex," Natasha started, sitting down at one of the linoleum tables, "what do you know so far about this from Thor?"

"I know that Asgard is a beautiful kingdom, one of legends. The Bifrost connects the other realms. Ours is called Midgard. Asgard is sort of trapped in a time of Anglo-Saxons – warriors, boasting, mead halls, the lot."

"And Loki?"

"Loki is the god of mischief. He can shape shift, multiply himself, and is a very good liar. He's manipulative, powerful, and dangerous."

"That's all you need to know, really."

"Well what about his army?"

"Your father thinks he's pairing up with a protégé of Ivan Vanko's in Russia and the Ten Rings organization. Basically he's aligning himself with terrorists and men who know Stark technology."

"What can we do about it?"

"Cut them off. Cancel out the branches of the operation and work our way in."

"And that's what Dad's been doing in Russia?"

"Precisely."

"What do I have to do?"

Natasha and Clint looked at each other, a mischievous grin on each of their faces.

"Well," Clint said, leaning in close, "Fury wants you working office. He wants you running computers, keeping stats, et cetera."

"We want you out on the field, with us. Preferably with Banner."

"Why with Dr. Banner?"

"He's known you since you were born. If you were to ever set off the Other Guy, you would have the best chance of survival out of all of us."

"And besides, Tony's been working with ways to keep Bruce in control of the Other Guy – mostly an anchor, something to keep him connected to himself."

"I'm the anchor."

"Precisely."

They sat in silence for a bit. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents exchanged another look.

"Don't stress yourself out," Natasha said, patting her shoulder, "your father won't let anything happen to you. And neither would Bruce."


	3. Anchors and Boxing

Thus began their experiments. Tony called it the Revenge of the Nerds Part 2, complete with screaming "I say we blow the fuckers up!" whenever he got the opportunity.

"Tony, can you focus for more than two seconds?" Bruce sighed one day, latching himself to their makeshift Hulk restraints, "we're trying to make the Other Guy more stable, not blow anything up."

"Eh, same difference. Something'll explode anyway."

"Dad…"

"Fine. Bruce, are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Beginning agitation."

It was hard for Alex, watching Bruce be irritated into his alter ego. The pained looks on his face as years of practiced stability flew out the window made it ten times worse and even Tony felt awful doing this to his closest friend.

And suddenly, the sound of stretched leather and a wounded cry filled the air – the small, sheepish man blew up into a giant, muscular green monster. Alex winced and looked at her father, who nodded. She slowly made her way toward the thrashing beast, making hushing sounds.

"Now, now, Bruce, remember me? Alex? You've known me since I was a baby," she inched closer, and even a few feet away were close enough to see the rage in his eyes.

"Alex…" her dad warned, getting ready to move out from behind his stats reader.

"No. Keep an eye on his heart rate."

The Hulk eyed her with suspicion, keeping a close watch as she moved nearer.

"Don't worry, big guy. I'm not gonna hurt you."

He tilted his head; he looked so much like his human counterpart that Alex couldn't help but extend a hand toward him. The Hulk reached out a hand as well, and she saw her life flash before her eyes.

"His heart rate's going down, Alex! Whatever you're doing, it's working!"

And their hands touched. The contact sent an electric rush down Alex's arm, but she did not flinch. What she did do, however, was keep her eyes trained on his. In the pool of brown, the rage and suspicion faded into curiosity.

"Ah-lex?" he asked, his voice echoing through the room.

"Yes, Bruce! That's me." Keeping her hand on his arm, she moved closer yet. And she could've sworn she saw the Hulk smile.

"His heart rate's down to human capacity! He should be transforming back," her father called, and sure enough, the arm that Alex had her hand on started trembling. She kept her hand firmly planted as it shrunk down, back to human proportions.

As suddenly as the transformation had happened, he was normal again. His clothes were tattered, his body was slack, but his eyes were still trained on Alex.

"Did – did it work?" he asked timidly, and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Of course it did, Bruce, or else she wouldn't be here," Tony chimed in behind her. Alex released Bruce, and her father shook his hand.

"Now we can consider Operation: Anchor a success."

Then began the training.

"Sweet Jesus, Steve!" Alex cried, lifting up a padded arm against the super soldier's boxing gloves.

"I'm sorry, are you hurt?" As soon as he had heard her cry of distress, he peeled off his boxing gloves and rushed to her side.

Alex laughed at the ageless man's concern. "No, I'm fine, I'm just not used to boxing anyone but Happy!" The chauffer and trainer probably had taken it relatively easy on her, but she had still schooled him in their casual boxing matches.

Steve smiled at her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Well you have to remind me that I'm boxing you, I'm not quite used to duking it out with teenage girls!"

So far, Steve had been her best training partner. While he was possessed with superhuman strength, he was also very aware of just how rough he was getting with Alex – something with which Clint wasn't very good. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, though very much human, was trained in some very strange, very inhuman fighting methods.

As for Natasha, she made Alex feel hyperaware of her lack of professional training. While the spy didn't wrap Alex's limbs up into some ridiculous pretzel, she also didn't physically engage in any action.

"Nat, please! Just throw one punch."

"Alex, seeing as I practically raised you; I can't bring myself to hurt you!"

After that, she had stopped training with Natasha (which Nat thought was for the best).

"You ready for another round, Stark Jr.?" Steve asked, pulling his gloves back on.

"Absolutely, Capsicle!" Alex said with a wink, and the two started throwing punches again.

Over in the corner of the training room, Tony and Bruce sat at a table drinking coffee.

"So Tony," Bruce started, trepidation in his voice, "are you really okay with her going out on missions?"

"She has to do whatever they need her to do, Bruce. There's nothing I can really do about it."

"You're her father!"

"I'm also getting old, Bruce," Tony looked at his fellow scientist, and Bruce could see just how much he'd aged since they first met. His hair was graying at the roots, and his forehead was creased with wrinkles. "Even though I'll be a genius no matter what my age, I'm only so helpful on missions anymore. This thing," he tapped the arc reactor with his fist, "is strictly for keeping me alive. Not for keeping me from aging."

"So you think they want Alex on the team –,"

"– to replace me, yes. And the fact that Fury wants her on office duty is bullshit. He knew that if he told us that, we'd not only argue it, but we'd go out of our way to see Alex getting her dream."

"And you're going to sit back and let it happen?"

"I can't keep my baby girl from her dreams."


	4. Mommies and Daddies

The S.H.I.E.L.D. lab was expansive, so spacious that Bruce and the Starks could work without bumping elbows.

"Alex," Tony barked across the room, "I want you to even out those flight stabilizers! You looked a little wobbly on your last touchdown."

"I want everyone down to the conference room, now!" Director Fury's voice barked over the loudspeaker. There was a collective groan in the laboratory as the scientists headed to the meeting.

"Fury, I wanna know what's going on. I was in the middle of a fantastic, unexplainable, extremely important revelation," Tony whined, swinging the doors wide open. The director gave him a one-eyed glare.

"Stark, if you think your little science projects are more important than world safety, by all means, leave."

Tony grimaced back at him, but settled down in a black office chair. Alex sat down beside him, a hand on his shoulder.

"Dad," she whispered, "the nicer you are to Fury, the shorter the meeting will be. You always forget that."

She could see Steve smile at her from across the table – his supersonic hearing made it hard to joke with her father during these meetings.

"We have a dire situation out in Russia – Starks, you might wanna pay attention," Alex and Tony straightened up, exchanging a look of confusion. "I know we haven't seen her around here in almost 20 years now, but Pepper Potts has gone missing."

Fury may as well have plucked the arc reactor out of Tony's chest himself. His face contorted; he stood up and left the room.

"What?" Alex kept her face calm, but she felt as though her heart was being twisted.

"Your mother, Alex. Our sources out in Europe traced her. She's been kidnapped by Ten Rings." Natasha slid into the seat Tony vacated, wrapping her arm around the younger girl's shoulders.

"I don't consider her my mother. But if you need me to recover her, I'll do what it takes. May I be dismissed, Director?"

When Fury nodded, she left the room as fast as possible. She didn't know where Tony went; she didn't know where she wanted to go. She just had to get out of that room.

It was like everyone in the building knew her mother was abducted. Everywhere she went, she was met with patronizing stares and whispers.

"That's Pepper and Tony's kid, right?"

"Yeah, some people say Pepper left Tony because she felt left out of the 'genius loop'."

"Wait, Alex," a voice called softly, "it's me, Steve." A hand clasped her shoulder.

"Steve, you've been there for me since before I could walk. Can I have this chance to walk away?"

"Absolutely. Just know that I'm here if you need to talk."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dad, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot, kiddo."

"What happened to Mom?"

That was the last question he wanted to hear out of her mouth.

"I mean, if you don't wanna answer, you don't have to. But I thought it'd be better to hear it out of your mouth."

"No, no, I've kept it from you for 18 years too many. Let's get some coffee."

Alex nodded solemnly and followed him to the floor 83 kitchen (the one with the fantastic coffee maker and the cozy, cabin-themed kitchen).

"JARVIS, make us some coffee."

"The usual?"

"Yes, thank you."

They sat down at the breakfast bar. Tony tapped his fingers nervously on the gray granite countertop, and then sighed.

"What do you want to know about your mother?"

"Everything."

Alex felt the tension in the room – if she asked JARVIS to, he could probably cut it with a butter knife. Her father's normally relaxed features were tensed.

"Well, then, I'll start at the beginning.

"Pepper was my assistant – she got my coffee, ran my errands, got rid of my one-night stands in the morning. She was an angel. I knew she deserved so much more than the garbage job I was giving her.

"I made her C.E.O. when I was dying of blood poisoning – the palladium, remember that story? Anyway, our relationship just… fell into place from there. I would do anything for her. I told her that whatever she wanted, I would give it to her. One time, I was at an Avengers press conference in Tokyo, and she called me and said she missed me. I flew all the way back to New York and took her out for a night on the town. They could get through one public appearance without me."

"You guys sound perfect together."

"We were! And that year, she was pregnant with you. It was the happiest I've ever been. Unfortunately, that year was also the year Ten Rings went psycho. I was out constantly, trying to quash this terrorist group, and Pepper was growing upset. I came back after a year – at that point, you were already a few months old and Pepper's affair with Justin Hammer was, too.

"When I got back, she told me she didn't love me anymore. She married Tony Stark, not Iron Man."

"That's a low blow."

"Don't judge her too harshly, it was my fault."

"Is she still with Hammer?"

Tony gave her a stiff nod in response.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. After she left, Bruce and Steve tried so hard to help me. But then Steve asked me where the 'man of iron' Pepper fell in love with disappeared to. I told him that obviously, she doesn't love him anymore. But I have a little girl who does."

Tony looked up when he heard Alex sniff. The tears in her eyes made his heart swell, and he slid off his barstool and embraced her.

"We don't need Pepper. We have each other," she muttered into his shoulder.

"Exactly."


	5. Fists and Tears

The upcoming mission to Europe loomed over the groups' heads. Tony had been sulking in the lab; Alex had been sparring with Steve nonstop, thus causing Steve to come up with ways to weasel out of sparring and leaving Bruce to listen to Alex worry about her father. Clint and Natasha had begun to take the easiest missions, just to get out of the helicarrier.

"I mean, I know I should be more concerned, but why? She left me and Dad in the dust, left us for Justin Hammer of all people, and now she's gotten herself into this mess!" Alex vented one day, and for each reason why she shouldn't be concerned about her mother, she drove her fist into Steve's vest.

"Well jeez, Alex, take this out on her, not on me!" he cried out, doubling over. The angry look on her face melted into one of concern, and she bent over next to Steve.

"Oh, god, Steve, I'm sorry! I just – I didn't mean to hurt you!" she stuttered, and the super soldier laughed.

"You didn't hurt me little lady, just got the wind knocked outta me," he stood straight up again, clapping her on the shoulder, "but I think I'm done sparring for the day. Why don't you go check up on your dad? I'm sure he'd appreciate the pretty face."

Alex flushed at the passing compliment and sighed. "I think I'll just go talk to Bruce. I don't wanna bother Dad. Thanks for listening, Steve." She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. As she walked away, the captain smiled and shook his head.

"She's just like Tony, isn't she?" He spun around to see who his new companion was – Natasha entered the gym, her hair tangled and windblown. "She gets herself so fired up, and tries to brush it off as annoyance. And she's smart enough that she knows exactly how to hide those feelings."

"What feelings?"

"She misses her mother. She wishes that her mother had been there for her. But now that she has to be there for Pepper, she feels no obligation to go save her. She's not the heartless type, however, so she knows that she has to go to Russia. Either way, Alex is lost."

Steve and Natasha stood in silence for a while. The agent could see the gears turning in Rogers's eternal mind.

"Is there any way we can help her?" he asked, and look dismayed when she shook her head.

"Alex needs to sort this out on her own. The only person that can help her now is Tony, and he's too consumed in his own self-pity to even come out of the lab."

"Maybe we could help Tony then! I mean, he and Alex may be the same person, but he's a grown man. He should help his daughter."

"Steve," Natasha sighed, "it's easier said than done. Tony's stubborn."

"Until he sees that he's compromising his little girl's happiness for his own selfishness."

The spy couldn't help but crack a smile. He may not be as naïve anymore, but he still held his very old-school values.

"You know Tony Stark, Cap. He's selfish, that's just the way he is."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex had found Bruce in the other S.H.I.E.L.D. laboratory and was now sitting in a spinning office chair, hands over her face.

"He won't even come near me, Bruce; I don't know what to do. Steve and Natasha are pushing me to go talk to him, but they don't know that he won't talk to me." The doctor, who had been so focused on his own work, turned around when he heard a sniff come from the small red-head.

He rushed to her side, a look of confusion on his face. "Alex, Alex, what's wrong? Why are you – oh, please don't –,"

"My own father," she sobbed, lifting her face from her hands, "won't look at me because I remind him too much of his ex." She looked at Bruce with wide green eyes rimmed by red, and he felt a flipping sensation in his stomach. He wasn't used to being placed in the father position, especially not by Alex, and he was at a loss for words.

"I know… it's hard to understand what you both are going through, but hopefully I can let you in on your father's feelings," he started, and Alex sniffed again, "He really misses Pepper. He pretends that he doesn't need her because he thinks that's what you need to be strong. But this is the first time she's been hurtled back into his life. Tony hasn't seen her in 20 years. He wanted to keep it that way."

"Well he can," Alex choked, "I'll go to Russia on my own, an in-and-out operation, let them handle the Ten Rings and I'll save her. He won't have to make eye contact with her at all."

Bruce laughed. "Alex, honey, it's not as easy as that. Ten Rings is bigger than any of us, even… the Other Guy."

"But he won't look at me."

He had been avoiding that. Bruce didn't want to intrude on their family issues; even though he lived with them, he still felt like an outsider.

"You know that your father would never hurt you. He loves you more than anyone will ever know. He just goes about it differently. Go talk to him."

Alex inhaled sharply and wrapped her arms around Bruce. "You need to stop this."

"Stop what?"

"Stop being such a good person."

She felt Bruce smile into her shoulder, and he tightened his grip. "I'll always be here for you, Alex. Never forget that."

Alex laughed slightly and kissed him on the cheek. "I don't think I ever could."


	6. Parents and Talking

Clint was sitting on a countertop in the lab, waiting for Tony to finish his explosive arrowheads. Normally, the room would've been filled with sarcastic, cheerful banter, perhaps an explosion or two, but a sullen silence hung over them.

Natasha, Steve, and Bruce had been pressuring Clint to talk to the genius about his sulking – Tony had been avoiding Bruce and Alex as much as possible, so they figured the sharp-shooting agent was the best option.

But if there was anything this all-knowing spy couldn't handle, it was family problems.

"Hey Stark, did I ever tell you about my parents?" Barton asked lightly, putting his eyes on the back of Tony's Black Sabbath shirt. The other man was digging through a box of dynamite, mumbling to himself.

"What? I mean, no, I don't think so," Tony responded halfheartedly, staring deep into the container.

"They died in a car accident when I was little." Clint saw Tony's head perk up – exactly what he wanted. "My older brother Barney and I ran away from our orphanage to the circus. This guy – the Swordsman – took me on as his lackey. He got help from this other guy called Trick Shot, and together they turned me into a master archer.

"Unfortunately, I figured out some bad stuff about the Swordsman – he was jacking money from the carnival. I was about to turn him in when he beat me. I was left for dead. I didn't know what to do. So I became a circus star. I was Hawkeye: The World's Greatest Archer. Unfortunately, there were a, ah, few run-ins with the law, and after that, I swore I was a straight shooter."

At that point, Tony was perched on a stool, looking at him with confusion.

"I'm sorry, Agent, but what caused this nice little history lesson?"

"I heard your parents went the same way. I just wanted to share."

He was about to walk out of the lab when Tony called him back.

"I've – never had somebody to talk to about this before."

"Well, if you keep it up, your daughter would be pretty good conversation for you."

The hopeful look on the genius's face grew dark at the mention of Alex.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Barton."

"Oh but I do," the agent started toward Stark, keeping him in his line of sight the entire time. "Alex is so upset about you dropping the ball on her, that's she's telling anyone who will listen that her daddy's not paying attention to her anymore. She's heartbroken, Tony, and you're the only one who can fix it."

"Look, Barton," Tony hissed, "I don't know who died and made you king, but read my lips: don't start telling me how to be a dad. I'm determined not to be the father that Howard was to me."

"You're off to a pretty rotten start, then."

Clint left, and Tony stayed on the stool, toying with some copper wires.

 _Oh, Pepper_ , he thought, feeling his face growing hot, _you could've fixed this. You could've fixed everything._

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Look, I – I don't know why you're not talking to me. I'm assuming it's because I look so much like Mom. Believe me, if I could change genetics, I would. But just because I look like her, doesn't mean I act like her.

Granted, I've fished you out of so many situations, I can't even recall them. I make you perform like a normal human (along with sleeping, eating, and an annual dentist appointment), I take you out of your lab from time to time, and I try and give you interaction. I keep some scandals under wraps – running through the 50th floor of the Empire State Building on a test flight? Nobody's heard anything about Iron Man being involved.

And I've tried so hard to be the genius you were expecting. Granted, I graduated from Harvard, not M.I.T., but I think the history books will overlook that when they reflect on the greatest father-daughter scientist pair in history. Not even just scientists, Dad, we're superheroes! Two geniuses that wear metal suits with blasters and missiles and we fight actual villains, not just petty crime! We actually mean something to S.H.I.E.L.D. We might be mean, sarcastic, and annoying, but they need us.

But we need each other. It seems like you've forgot about that. This is without a doubt the hardest time of my life, and you've disappeared. Forget Iron Man; forget Tony Stark, super genius; where's my dad? I need a comforting dad hug, somebody to hug me and tell me it's alright! So far, the only person that's done that is Bruce. And, as much as I'd like to, I can't turn him into a father figure because I still have a dad that I know loves me. I love you so much, Dad."

Alex blinked the tears away and examined her red-rimmed eyes in the large mirror across from her. "I suppose that's good enough for now," she whispered, turning away. She had been rehearsing how she was going to confront her father for days, but she couldn't find the right words to say. "No matter what I say," she thought aloud, "I sound like I'm whining, a needy little girl crying for her father's attention." The pillows and blankets greeted her like an old friend as she collapsed back onto them, her hands over her face.

"You didn't sound like you were whining just then." A familiar voice said, and Alex groaned internally.

"You heard all of that?"

"What's 'all'?"

"Starting with 'I don't know why you're not talking to me.'"

"Then yes, I heard it all."

The bed sunk, and Tony's arms enveloped Alex as much as they could.

"Listen to me," he said, "I love you more than anything, more than you could ever guess. You're the only thing in my life that's consistent, and the thought of you seeing your mother again – well, what if you guys bonded, and she convinced you that joining the Avengers was bad and that you should go live with her and Hammer? Or even tried getting visitation rights? I can't share you, Alex, I don't play well with others, remember?" She moved as close to her father as possible, so that she could feel the outline of his face pressed against her hair and the arc reactor against her upper arm.

"I wouldn't leave you. I've already given her up; any fear of me leaving you should be gone, Dad. I was just worried that I'd have to do this mission by myself." Tony laughed softly and kissed her temple.

"You're fine, baby girl. I'd never let you face the assholes from Ten Rings alone. Even then," he turned Alex around so that they were facing each other, "you'd probably give them an ass-whooping they would never forget."

And so father and daughter lay on the large bed, laughing and forgetting the fact that they hadn't spoken in a week and they were to go to Russia in a few days' time. It was nice to be normal for once.


	7. Pranking and Kidnapping

"Hello, my Midgardian companions!" were the last words they heard before being enveloped in the arms of a demi-god.

"Ugh, hello, Thor," Bruce mustered, clenched so hard at the muscular forearm that his knuckles were turning green.

"It is so nice to be in the realm of Midgard yet again," the prince said, letting go of the heroes he was embracing, "although the circumstances under which I have arrived are most dire." Alex could see the sad look in his eyes as he thought of his brother and the turmoil Loki was putting people through.

"No need to worry, Hammer Time!" Tony said jovially, clapping Thor on the back, "There'll be plenty of time for fun on Earth when we get this business settled."

It was the day they were scheduled to leave for Russia. Tony and Alex had surprised everyone by being attached at the hip for the past couple of days, especially after their week of silence. The two had spent their time pranking underling agents, hacking S.H.I.E.L.D. computer systems, and working on the anchor experiments – the latter being the only serious thing they accomplished.

"C'mon, Fury," Tony had appealed to the director one day after they had been told off, "god forbid we take a load off! This is gonna be a stressful mission, we need a break."

"You can have your break –," Fury replied, shutting down a computer that was stuck on a slideshow of unicorns, "when you abolish Ten Rings and I never have to hear about them again!"

Much to Fury's chagrin, Tony merely laughed. "Believe me, Director, they'll wish they had never formed when we're done with them."

But now the heroes were suiting up and preparing to leave, wishing that Ten Rings had never formed themselves. Alex had started utilizing the wrist bracelets her father invented a few years back – her suit was lightweight enough that she didn't have to worry about not being properly protected in the more convenient method of suiting up.

"Are you ready for your first mission in the suit, kiddo?" Tony walked up beside her, the mask lifted off of his face.

"I guess," she replied, pressing the button on her bracelets. The metal flowed out of the bands on her wrists slowly, and soon enough, she was covered in shiny silver and black armor. "I mean, we've been training for this for ages. So if I'm not ready, I guess we'll be able to tell." She looked up at her father; green eyes trained on brown. Tony could see the fear in her eyes and he embraced her despite their suits clinking together.

"You'll be fine, baby girl. None of us will let anything bad happen to you." He kissed her on the cheek, and then flipped down his mask. "Now let's go kick some terrorist ass!" Alex laughed as he jumped out of the helicarrier and she followed suit.

I guess saving the world can still be pretty fun, she thought as they spiraled through the sky, but maybe it's just a Stark thing.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sometimes, saving the world wasn't fun. They found themselves in a desolate city in Russia, one that looked war-torn and forgotten. It was here that the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had traced Pepper's location, more specifically to a crumbling warehouse.

"Alright, team," Steve said as they circled around him, "we're going to have to split up – Tony; I want you after Vanko's lackey. You're the only one who knows what he's doing. Tash, Clint, you'll come with me to knock out the terrorist goons. Doc and Alex, you'll go in for Pepper."

They all nodded and went their separate ways. Bruce and Alex stayed in front of the warehouse, staring at the door in anticipation.

"Are you alright?" Bruce was looking at Alex, his skin tinged green.

"I'll be fine," she replied, "once we get this over with."

He snuck his hand through hers, and the cold metal clasped around his fingers almost calmed him.

"Hey, Bruce?"

"Yeah Alex?"

"Thanks."

"You've been saying that a lot lately."

\--------------------------------------------

"Area looks secure," Alex muttered into the comm, "stay out there for lookout?"

" _Alright, I've got your back._ " Bruce answered. The line went silent as JARVIS scanned the room for any other threats.

 _The area seems empty, Miss Stark_ , the AI told her. She looked around, the mask's night vision illuminating the dark storeroom.

"Miss Potts?" she called out, but she immediately regretted it. A series of fluorescent lights turned on above her head. At the far end of the room, Alex saw a chair inhabited by a woman that could only be Pepper Potts.

"Hello?" was the response she got. Pepper's voice sounded hoarse and her head was rolling on her neck. Alex rushed down the empty hallway toward her mother.

"Miss Potts, you're going to be alright, I'm here to help; we all are."

"Who…?"

"It's Alex, your daughter."

The green eyes, so filled with terror, grew to the size of small dishes.

"Alexandra Stark, you say?"

A figure walked out from the dark, the lights reflecting off of his glasses. He was impeccably dressed for the setting; his gray suit looked freshly dry-cleaned and his shoes just shined. Alex flipped up her mask.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Pepper?"

The man laughed at her question. "Why, I'm Justin Hammer. I trust that Anthony's told you about me?"

Alex took a step back from Pepper and Hammer. "He's told me about you, all right. You ruined his life."

"It's all in a day's work, Stark!" He laughed again, an irritating sound.

"Why have you kidnapped her? I thought you two were very happy together," she spat, and Hammer rolled his eyes.

"Do I really need a motive? It wasn't really kidnapping, to be honest. Pepper trusts me," he ran a hand through her hair. Alex watched her wince at his touch.

"I did trust him, Alex, but now I don't, I didn't mean to drag you or Tony into this situation!" Pepper cried out.

"Quiet, Pepper," Hammer snapped. He turned back to Alex with a sinister grin. "You don't have to worry about your father, dear. Little Vanko should be taking care of him. Meanwhile, in New York, I've set that weird little alien on your beautiful tower."

"Shit!" Alex murmured, "JARVIS, check the status of Stark Tower."

_Nothing yet, Miss Stark. I'll let you and your father know the second something goes wrong. Shall I alert him of your situation?_

"No, thank you, JARVIS," she replied with a sigh. Alex then lifted an arm and aimed her wrist missiles at Hammer. "I'll give you ten seconds to let Pepper go before I blast your ass off the radar."

As soon as she started counting down, Hammer grimaced but began cutting Pepper's restraints.

"Take her," he hissed, "I don't need her anymore. The destruction should be done." He turned around and disappeared into the dark yet again.

"Bruce, I've got Pepper. We're on our way out."

_"Alright, but we've got a bit of a situation…"_


	8. Kidnappers and Hospital Rooms

"Shit!"

Sure enough, when she walked outside (with Pepper in tow), it was quite a situation. Bruce had Hulked out and was hurling bodies left and right. "Pepper, you need to get somewhere safe. No, stop, not in there!" She had started to scramble back into the warehouse when Alex grabbed her arm. "Go find a trench or something, and hurry!" The redhead ran away, just as a machine gun sent its ammo in their direction.

"Alright, Big Guy, you ready?" Alex called out, moving closer to the Hulk. She was answered with a sinister grin across his face; she knew she was in good hands.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The fight couldn't have lasted more than ten minutes when the pair was surrounded by the unconscious bodies. Her suit was covered with scratches and dents, but that could wait.

"Bruce!" she yelled, running toward her large, green companion. He turned around to face her, the menacing look still plastered on his face. "Hey, Bruce, it's alright, it's done!" The expression she received as an answer was one she knew well – Hulk wanted to smash. Alex made sure her repulsor was ready to fire at will and moved closer. "It's all good, Big Guy. We can go get the others and go home."

He snarled, and then nodded. "Bruce not think Hulk should go away yet."

"Bruce is probably right. C'mon, Hulk." She reached out a hand, and the green giant gave her a finger to hang on to as they walked away from the carnage behind them.

"Hey, wait! What about me?" _Fuck_ , Alex groaned internally. She had forgotten all about Pepper during the action. "God, you're worse than your father. Alexandra!"

"Miss Potts, please. Let me get a hold of S.H.I.E.L.D. so the helicarrier can pick you up and you can get proper medical care. Just bear with me." Alex replied, hoping the exasperation in her voice was obvious. It was to the Hulk, because he chuckled quietly.

"Don't take that tone with me, I'm your mother, remember?" That was the last straw for Alex. She whipped around to face Pepper, flipping the mask of her helmet up.

"You're not my mother, I don't want you to be, have you not caught on yet?" she hissed. It took all of her willpower not to smile when she saw the look of shock on Pepper's face. "You left me before I was old enough to know better. My father wanted to give you everything, you were his world, and you just dropped him. What was so special about Justin Hammer? Yeah, he was around, but Dad would've moved the Moon if you had asked him to, no matter what kind of intergalactic scandal it would cause. I'm telling S.H.I.E.L.D. to come pick you up now, because god knows I can't be around an insensitive, heartless woman like you any longer."

Instead of crying, or at least looking upset, Pepper sniffed indignantly.

"Worse than your father. You think that your little world revolves around you and that… hunk of scrap!"

"This 'hunk of scrap'," Alex bit back, "saved your ass a few minutes ago. So I'd keep your opinions to yourself."

 _Want us to come pick her up now?_ She jumped at the sound of Agent Maria Hill's voice in her earpiece.

"Please," Alex muttered in reply, "did everyone hear that, by chance?"

 _Yup_ , Steve answered, _we've also tracked your location and we're coming for you now. How's Bruce?_

"Still… Hulky, I guess." She looked up at her large companion, who was proudly grinning at her as Pepper shied away from him.

_Alright, on our way._

And as suddenly as it had been buzzing in her ear, the earpiece went quiet and she was alone with a monster that only spoke broken English and her estranged mother. Not the best companions, but they'd have to do for now.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Man, fuck her!" Tony raged, tossing a beaker off of the metal table in front of him. Bruce had just revealed to him the events that transpired between Alex and Pepper, but he instantly regretted it – he was not expecting this kind of ire. "She just waltzes back into our lives and expects Alex to accept her? Bullshit! I'm glad Alex told her off – she obviously got her skill with words from me."

They had stopped down in the medical ward to see Pepper as soon as they returned to the helicarrier. The team had awkwardly hung back as Tony stalked into the room, pushing the nurse that tried stopping him aside. Alex had draped her legs over a small chair on the outside of the group; Bruce sat on the bench next to her and let her put her feet in his lap.

It was silent as they listened to snippets of Tony and Pepper's conversation:

"God, Tony, you didn't even have the decency to keep her from making a suit?"

"So says the woman that didn't have the decency to stay faithful while I was in and out of the house."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you, Mr. Playboy."

"This isn't about us, Pep. This is about how you think you can just come hurtling back into Alex's life and start bossing her around!"

The doctor could tell by the pained look on Alex's face that she was sick of the conversation, so he volunteered to escort her back to her suite in the helicarrier.

"Thanks for being such a great guy, Bruce," she said as they walked down the corridor, "but you really don't have to do this. I'm fine."

"Please, I just got good at this whole 'heart-to-heart' thing, I'm not about to just let one go to waste," he smiled and snaked an arm around her waist.

"Bruce, you're the best. But really, I don't wanna talk about it just yet. I'll definitely let you know when I do, though." They had reached her suite at this point, and she stood up on her toes and kissed the doctor on the cheek. "See you tomorrow, Big Guy," she said with a wink, entering her room. When she shut the door, he couldn't help but sigh.

_Thank god she's not anything like Pepper._


	9. Heroes and Villains

When Alex woke up that morning, she, Bruce, and Tony bid their farewells to the inhabitants of the helicarrier; they had decided to go back to Stark Tower.

"If what Justin Hammer said is true," Tony had explained to Fury when the director argued he wanted them near, "then my tower, my home, is next on the 'Legion of Evil's' hit list. I'm not going to let that psychotic demi-god with daddy issues destroy it. No offense, Thor" he added, and Thor nodded in understanding.

"It is alright, friend Tony. Your home has been threatened, you are upset."

After a grunt and a nod from Fury, the trio headed out.

"Dad, what are we going to do?" Alex asked him in the elevator, and Tony scoffed.

"We have two super suits and a man with fantastic anger management issues who's smacked Loki down once before. I think we'll be fine." He winked at Bruce as the elevator hit his floor – the mechanics lab he dedicated to fixing up suits. "Alex, hand me your bracelets; I'll fix your suit up."

"Alright, but don't do anything… experimental. Call me down if you need help!" she called out as he walked away with the bracelets.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. I mean, he created them, after all," Bruce laughed, and Alex only sighed.

"That's why I'm worried about my suit's wellbeing!" she replied, leaning her back against the wall of the elevator.

Bruce moved to stand next to her. "Are you doing alright?"

Alex looked at him with sad, green eyes. "I'm as okay as I can be right now. But if I need to talk, you'll know." The elevator dinged just as he opened his mouth – it was his cue to leave.

"I'll be in here just in case," he gestured toward the laboratory he was about to enter. She nodded in understanding and pressed the button for the penthouse floor.

"And I'll be down soon enough."

The doors shut behind him just as he turned to reply.

 _I hope she'll be okay,_ he thought before preoccupying himself with work.

After about 50 floors to think to herself, Alex wished she had stayed with Bruce. Although she really had nothing to say about her encounter with her mother, it would've been nice not to seclude herself on the top floor.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" A voice drawled from further in the room, and Alex felt her heart hammering behind the arc reactor.

"Who are you, and why are you in my house?" she called out, ready to put her sparring practice to good use.

"Why, Miss Stark," the voice laughed, and a pale man with dark hair came into view, "I am the God of Mischief, and the new ruler of mankind."

"Loki!" Alex hissed back, reaching for her wrists. Shit! She could've smacked herself – she had given her bracelets to her father for repairs.

"Oh yes, my dear, and fortunately, I find you without your armor. How grand," he smiled; it was a sinister look and his green eyes were filled with delight. "And now, as we stand here and chatter, my new army is destroying New York. Your little S.H.I.E.L.D. has jumped to action, but without their new golden girl. Why? Do they not care about you?"

"They know I can handle myself," she snapped, but she was beginning to question whether she could.

 _Miss Stark,_ JARVIS said suddenly, making Loki jump in alarm, _your father has left your bracelets in the engineering room. He wanted me to let you know that he loves you and he'll see you soon._

She could've sung – the engineering room was only a floor beneath her! Someway, somehow, she would have to distract Loki and make her way down there.

 _You're Alexandra Stark,_ she reminded herself, the daughter of the smartest man on Earth. _You have an iron super suit, it's only a level below, and you just need to breathe and think and… connive. ___

Her father was the best conniver she knew. But he wasn't around; he was almost gone. As New York fell into shambles around her, she couldn't help but wonder, _why me?_

"Well, I can assume that this is not the engineering room," Loki laughed again, a cackling that made her shiver. "So what will you do, Alex Stark, as your world comes crashing down?"

"You can be sure as hell I'll avenge it," she spat, "and so will everyone else. You won't win, Loki. I'm sure that you and your brother read fairy tales when you were younger. The villain never wins, and it just so happens that, uh, you're the villain." Alex hoped that the teasing tone in her voice was enough to set off his temper. Sure enough, it was – his scepter shined a furious blue as he pointed it in her direction.

 _I just need him angry enough to shoot holes in the floor,_ she concluded, and looked back up at the god with a smile on his face.

"How about your father's stories, Loki? He was always the hero, and there was always a villain – but who won? Odin won, and the villain lost. And you were raised knowing that evil never prevails. Why be evil, Loki? You will never win."

A snarl crossed his white face and Alex knew she had him where she wanted him. A blue bolt was aimed in her direction, but when she jumped back, it split the hardwood instead.

"You know not what you speak of, mortal!" he yelled. Alex laughed at his accusation.

"Oh, I think I have an idea," she said, making her way toward the newly-made hole. With a wink, Alex jumped through the hole to the level below.

She landed on a table filled with pens and pencils – her father was known to run out of writing utensils and needed a constant supply. The glass countertop shattered beneath her, but the small cuts would have to wait. On the shelf to her left, the bracelets gleamed under the flickering lights. Alex reached for them and tried not to wince at the blood leaking out of her hand.

"These damned humans think they can best me!" she could hear Loki yell from above, and rushed to snap on the bracelets. Before she knew it, the armor clicked into place and she found herself poised to shoot Loki with her repulsor.

"Stand down, Loki, or I'll have to shoot," she threatened, and the once-cocky god almost trembled.

 _Good to hear your angelic voice,_ Tony laughed through the comm, _you're holding up alright? I could send in Bruce._

The second Loki heard Bruce's name, his knees fell out from under him.

"I surrender! Fine, you've got me, I surrender!" he cried, placing his hands over his head. "Just don't send in that damned green beast."

"If you insist," Alex replied, her voice filled with amusement, "JARVIS, I'll need some of Dad's high-strength restraints. I'm taking Loki back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Wow, I'm sorry this chapter took so long! I just recently finished Twin Peaks and I found it hard to keep moving while paying attention to two fandoms at once. Fortunately, I'm done being absorbed with the show and have shifted back to writing fan fiction - I have a large lineup of headcanons and such, and some ideas for Twin Peaks fan fiction ;) Even though I've reached the point I was aiming for, I still have some stuff planned for this story - not so much superhero stuff as the post-world-destruction S.H.I.E.L.D. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for waiting!


	10. Sensitivity and Television

"He's sensitive!" Alex explained to Fury for what seemed like the billionth time. She was in the debriefing room, a large, dark area filled with video cameras, microphones, and a tinted window that she was sure was a one-way mirror. "He has parent issues. The majority of your team has parent issues, and you never thought once to pull the daddy card?" She put a cherry in her mouth, spitting out the pit on the floor. The director grimaced.

"I'm sorry if the emotions of psychotic demi-gods aren't exactly the first things we check out when we're trying to strike them down," he scoffed, squishing the seed under his boot, "but just because you had no other choice than to verbally harass him doesn't mean that you're a genius because of it."

Alex could feel the angry words bubbling up in her throat as she glared at Fury. "Are you discrediting my skills as a member of the Avengers, Director? Need I remind you who saved Miss Potts from captivity, or who captured the very evasive God of Mischief? If you only accepted me on my father's behalf, then so be it, but I'm fairly sure I proved myself in the past month. Put me on paperwork, scouting missions, or strictly a consultant deal if you can't respect me as a member of the Avengers Initiative." With that, she picked up her bowl of cherries and walked out of the room, making sure to pointedly slam the door behind her.

When she walked out, no one was in the listening room beyond the mirror. Had they heard and escaped, in case her wrath carried over to them? Just as she began dialing her father's cell phone number, Clint entered the room.

"There you are, Stark!" he greeted her, "We've been waiting for you to get out of the meeting! Fury told us to go do something useful while you were being debriefed and Tash interrogated Loki."

Alex scowled at the mention of the director's name. "Can we go down to the canteen?" she asked the agent, "I need to talk to you guys."

~

After she finished her description of the debriefing, Natasha had returned from the interrogation and Tony looked like he wanted to throw Fury off the helicarrier.

"Where does he get off?" the genius roared, standing up at the table. Steve placed a hand on his arm and attempted to placate him, though the soldier's own expression was filled with disgust.

"I just don't understand why he would tell you that." Steve said, shaking his head.

"I'll tell you why!" Tony snarled, "He's upset that she figured out what he couldn't!"

Alex sighed and put her head in her hands. "That's not how it was, Dad! I didn't think, 'well, this guy has major daddy issues, lemme tap into that,' no! I was thinking on my feet and he was getting angry so I just made him angrier. That's all." Bruce could see the flush creeping up her neck and placed a hand on her back.

"You guys," he said quietly, "there's nothing we can do about Fury's bad moods."

Thor, who had been quiet the whole time, tilted his head quizzically. "But I do not believe," he approached slowly, "that our noble director would be so negative about the young maid of iron making a breakthrough in silencing my brother."

Natasha made a disgruntled sound and slammed her fist down on the Formica tabletop. "That's exactly why. He likes to keep enemy secrets in his little interrogation circle. Having an outsider know about that could end up in S.H.I.E.L.D. being compromised."

"I don't care what this is about!" Tony bellowed, his words echoing through the spacious hall. Various agents turned their heads to stare at the group of heroes, all looking ragged after saving the world – again. "This is about the director, who is supposed to be civil, at least, questioning my little girl's genius IQ! This isn't S.H.I.E.L.D. business. He went personal."

Alex had placed her head on the table, her orange hair creating a halo around her. "It's no big deal," she mumbled into the sleeve of her white button-up shirt. Bruce gave Tony a warning glance.

"Drop it," he muttered, "god forbid even you can do that."

Tony huffed. "Fine. The fucking pirate can have this one. But the second he thinks it's appropriate to insult one of us again; I will tear this establishment down board by board."

His daughter lifted her head, a smile on her face. "Thanks, Dad," she said, kissing him on the cheek, "and I know exactly what will cheer you up."

"You mean Twin Peaks marathon?"

"Is there any other way to be happy?"

"I did not know that peaks could be twins!" Thor's booming voice was filled with bemusement.

The Starks let that comment slide – he didn't live on this planet, after all. He wouldn't know the television cult classic. But the second the pair saw confused expressions of their human friends, their faces distorted.

"Oh, no," Tony whispered.

"What's wrong?" Clint asked with a wary look on his face.

"You guys haven't seen Twin Peaks?" Alex gasped, dramatically placing a hand on her heart.

"Well, considering I was just recently thawed out…" Steve shrugged and looked at the others for their excuses.

Bruce bit his lip. "I didn't have time for TV growing up, and out of college, I was too busy with internships."

"I grew up in the circus and became a master assassin. Needless to say, I don't watch television."

"I'm foreign."

"Excuses, excuses," the physicist said, "we'll have a group bonding session, then, featuring the lovely work of David Lynch and the late 80s!"

The entire group groaned at the idea of bonding time at Stark Tower, but Alex beamed at her father. "Now come on, guys, let's go find out who killed Laura Palmer."

~

Thus the viewing began.

Alex was curled up against Bruce on the large loveseat, with Thor seated next to them. Natasha and Clint shared the leather armchair; Natasha had perched herself delicately on his lap. Tony and Steve, however, sat at the bar, drinking Shirley Temples (Steve) and rum (Tony).

"Ah, finally," Tony sighed as the opening theme began, "this is what bonding should be."


End file.
